“I used to flambe table side in the late ’70s/early ’80s.

This was my favorite.

Then it just sorta dropped off menus everywhere.”

A close-up of a skillet filled with creamy beef stroganoff topped with fresh chives. The dish consists of wide egg noodles, mushrooms, and chunks of beef

Here are some of the “trendy” menu items that older generations recalled from way back when.

“Nobody serves beef stroganoff anymore.”

u/igotplans2

“I credit the original Cajun gourmet,Justin Wilson, for this.

A plate of loaded potato skins with melted cheese, bacon bits, and green onions, surrounding a bowl of sour cream, garnished with lettuce

u/Ok_Athlete_1092

3.

“Potato skins were pretty big in the ’80s.”

u/Professor-genXer

“Sun-dried tomatoes were freaking EVERYWHERE for a while there.”

A close-up of a slice of vegetable quiche with a flaky crust, filled with spinach, onions, and cheese

u/GraceStrangerThanYou

5.

“Quiche in the late ’70s and the ’80s.

Every fern bar restaurant like TGI Fridays featured quiches, and people were cooking quiches.

Wendy's salad bar featuring various ingredients like lettuce, chicken, tomatoes, and fruit. Signs and menus are visible in the background

The popularity of quiche even inspired the title of the bookReal Men Don’t Eat Quiche.

That book inspired the humorous meme of ‘Real Men Don’t (fill in the blank).'”

Particularly, made the correct old-school way: flambeed tableside.”

Hands dipping a piece of bread into a cheese fondue pot at a restaurant table, surrounded by bread, a beer glass, a wine glass, and cutlery

u/MooPig48

“I used to flambe table side in the late ’70s/early ’80s.

Steak Diane was my favorite.

Then it just sorta dropped off menus everywhere.”

Person cooking banana slices in a pan over a flame with a bowl of brown sugar on the side

u/MetalPlaygrounds

7.

In the ’80s, every restaurant had one, even some fast-food burger places like Wendy’s."

“Beef Wellington, at pricier restaurants.

Chocolate cake with toasted coconut flakes and a slice cut out

u/newleaf9110

9.“Fondue.”

u/Gl3g

11.

“Bananas Foster and the whole tableside performance flambe craze from the ’70s.

Person is leaning over a plate of fish fillet topped with green beans and sliced almonds on a wooden table

Maybe some places still offer that?

I haven’t seen it on a menu in forever.”

“Pineapple upside down cake.”

Close-up of a Monte Cristo sandwich, sliced in half, with ham, cheese, and powdered sugar, accompanied by a side of fries and jam in the background

I haven’t had one in years!”

u/groomer7759

13.

“German chocolate cake used to be everywhere, and I haven’t seen it in decades.”

Plate with Swedish meatballs in gravy, mashed potatoes, lingonberries, cucumbers, an empty glass, and a bottle of Pommac soda

I didn’t see another place that did crepesprimarilyfor over 40 years."

u/Quaranj

15.

I’m a terrible cook, so I can’t make it myself."

Chocolate mousse in a glass dish, garnished with a light dusting of cocoa powder

“Baked Alaska.”

u/SirWarm6963

17.

“French onion soup with a big piece of toast and melted cheese on top in the ’70s.”

A plate with cooked liver topped with caramelized onions and bacon, with sides of sautéed green beans and roasted potato slices

u/mbw70

19.

“I will submit Swedish meatballs, which I actually just got done making for dinner.

I don’t know if it died out, but I never see it on the menu anywhere.”

And it was spun around that bowl so the server could spoon it into your potato.

u/ronmimid

21.

“Chocolate mousse in a stem goblet.

It was my favorite thing about eating out as a kid in the ’80s.

Then at some point, it was all crappy frozen chocolate cake.”

“Around 1980, it seemed like every restaurant had fried zucchini and fried mozzarella sticks as appetizers.”

u/Intelligent-Rip-2270

23.

“Liver and onions.”

It was years before I realized she was always on a diet."

u/Valuable-Ordinary-54

Note: Some responses may have been edited for length and/or clarity.